March 20, 2017….. Spring Equinox…. First Day of Spring. At least the calendar says so right? Chilly and frosty start this morning for us here in Maryland. We cannot complain after the mild winter we’ve had this year. All we need is a few sunny days, warm temperatures, and a breeze to get these baseball fields to dry out. We are still really hopeful to get things together enough to get our rec baseball teams out and on the field this coming Saturday. I believe this is the 5th straight “spring” we’ve delayed our start but we will get things going soon enough.
I captured the shot you see this morning on my way to a mid-morning work meeting. 2 things I want to say about this picture (disregard the green “UFO” effect please). The first thing is something I talked about in one of my Youtube Vlogs. Sometimes the beauty of nature is found in the normal, average, everyday places we go. Typically I pass by where this was taken many times each week. Sometimes on a typical morning like today – something just catches me and I feel the need to capture it. Simple, beautiful, and unique. Rather than keep driving; I stop, get out and capture the moment and admire it in person for a few minutes. Had I been quicker I would’ve gotten video of a fox running about 50 yards from me.
The second point I want to make today is the message I posted with this photo on my Instagram. I simply said “get outside and do something nice for someone”. Pretty simple words but when you think about it words that all of us should really take to heart. We all need to give back and do something for others every day. It can be something simple like a nice greeting or smile to a stranger, holding a door for a senior citizen, or doing something anonymously to help a person or group of people. It’s amazing how good doing something so small, easy, and important can make you feel.
To take my point further I really want to encourage and inspire you to go out and be a volunteer. I speak of this a lot on my Youtube channel also. That is where I detail what I (a typical volunteer) do as President of our youth baseball program. I don’t have a lot of material posted there yet but that will change with the improvement in the weather. Hopefully you’ll find being a volunteer interesting, helpful, and fun. I know you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment or pride in being able to help out someone else without receiving anything in return. Personally I can say it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my lifetime. And I’ve done it for a long time and continue to do it. For me it’s all for the kids. Just doing what we do and having a positive effect makes all the hours and effort so worth it.
There are so many opportunities. Youth sports (my choice), homeless shelters, soup kitchens, schools, senior citizen day centers, nursing homes, hospitals, animal shelters, and the list goes on. No matter what you choose just make the decision and go for it. If you wait for the right time or put if off for whatever reason all you are doing is delaying the good you will bring to others. Go out and do it now. And the final thing? YOU are needed! Badly. So many organizations are in desperate need of volunteer help. Every little bit helps. Thank you all for reading my thoughts and please consider helping others today!
